...AP Photo/LisA BiLLings Confronting America’s Childhood Obesity Epidemic How the Health Care Reform Law Will Help Prevent and Reduce Obesity Ellen-Marie Whelan, Lesley Russell, and Sonia Sekhar May 2010 w w w.americanprogress.org Confronting America’s Childhood Obesity Epidemic How the Health Care Reform Law Will Help Prevent and Reduce Obesity Ellen-Marie Whelan, Lesley Russell, and Sonia Sekhar May 2010 Contents 1 Fast Facts on Childhood Obesity 3 Introduction and summary 6 Provisions included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that address childhood obesity 6 Childhood Obesity Demonstration Project 7 Nutrition labeling 7 Community Transformation Grants 9 Broader measures in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to tackle childhood obesity 9 Prevention and public health 15 Primary care and coordination 18 Community-based Care 20 Maternal and child health 22 Research: Doing what works in obesity prevention 23 Data provisions that will help with tracking and providing improved outcomes to measure obesity prevention 25 What else is needed? 27 Beyond health care 29 Conclusion 30 Appendix: The White House Childhood Obesity Initiative 32 Endnotes 34 About the authors Fast Facts on Childhood Obesity Our nation’s children today are on track to have a lower life expectancy than their parents The obesity epidemic poses serious health problems for children including cardiovascular disease,...
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...Obesity in America Rough Draft Jeremy Stewart ENG 122 English Composition II Instructor: Jennifer Chagala October 02, 2014 Obesity in America It is a shame that more people die in the United States from eating too much food, while in other countries people die from not having enough. Obesity is a rising health epidemic across the nation, and it is a duel responsibility of the government as well as society to do all that they can, starting in the individual home to encourage healthy eating in order to reverse this development and preserve the next generation. Obesity has officially become an epidemic in America. It is debatably one the most noticed public health problems that America faces today. In 2009,...
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...Social Analysis Report Children Obesity Mengtong Huang Holly Lachapelle Jung Ohyeon Professor Fidaa Shehada Global Citizenship (GNED500204) Due date: December 3, 2015 Introduction of children abesity and connected with GNED 500(by Holly Lachapelle) The topic of our social analysis is child obesity. As far as we know, childhood obesity is becoming a growing epidemic in the modern world. According to Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, “The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2012. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to nearly 21% over the same period.” (Ogden,2012) These numbers are concerning because childhood obesity leads to long term health risks including diabetes, heart disease and many cancers. As our society becomes increasingly technologically driven, our youth are becoming less and less physically active. Today’s children are more likely to send a friend a text rather than run over to their house and “call on them”. Modern conveniences and entertainment such as videogames, television, the internet, facebook and kid-friendly fast food joints play a major role in the growing rate of childhood obesity. Currently there are many efforts being made to slow down or reverse the negative effects of living in modern day society for our children. Some of these attempts include increased awareness about nutrition and...
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...Children and Obesity Sharletta Guy-Pope SOC490: Social Science Capstone Raqota Berger June 18, 2012 Introduction Due to the growing concern and increase prevalence of childhood obesity around the world the population of children as it relates to childhood obesity indicates that these children will suffer even greater as adults. This increasing concern has become a public health issue and a social issue with children. Furthermore, research shows that the media plays an important role in the current epidemic of childhood obesity, which also has become a social issue with children. The increasing amounts of junk food and fast food advertisements, that target children and adolescents, have an effect on the outcome of their health and nutritional habits; these advertisements shift away from good nutritional practices. Food advertisements that advertise unhealthy foods such as foods high in saturated fats and cholesterol (junk foods) puts children at risk for high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol, both of which causes heart disease later on in life, which are precursors of cardiovascular disease resulting in childhood obesity. Sociocultural Factors Gender Society, culture, and the media send children powerful messages about body weight and shape ideals. For girls; ideas that are stressed in the media include the "thin ideal" and urging to diet and exercise, which can put pressure on girls to be thin, putting them...
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...Childhood Obesity in the U.S. : A Growing Epidemic Unfortunately, for various reasons many U.S. parents find it difficult to acknowledge that their children are overweight or obese. Childhood obesity is becoming a growing epidemic in the United States; according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of obesity among children has more than doubled over the past 20 years, generating numerous physical, social and psychological problems for the children. "Obesity is a condition resulting from excessive storage of fat in the body. Obesity has been defined as a weight more than 20% above what is considered normal according to standard age, height, and weight tables, or by a complex formula known as the body mass index." Dictionary.com, LLC, (2009). The causes of childhood obesity are multiple and the consequences of this growing epidemic endanger the child's well-being. Happily, childhood obesity can be treated; physical activity, diet management, and behavior modification can bring an obese child to its normal body weight, returning them their physical and psychological health. What are the differences from THEN to NOW? When I say THEN, I am referring to a much simpler time; the time around the 1950’s. At that time children walked to school while now they usually ride a bus or are driven by a parent. Then family meals were eaten at a table while these days’ meals are most often fast food, eaten in cars on the way from one place or activity to another...
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...Chapter I Introduction Obesity rates have increased dramatically for all population groups in the United States over the last several decades, (Blackburn, 2005). It is a very serious issue which can lead to both health and social consequences attributing to the major deficits as an adult. Obesity is an excess of body fat. Body Mass Index is a popular method of defining a healthy weight versus being underweight, overweight or obese. Body Mass Index should be used as a guide, along with waist size, to help estimate the amount of body fat a person has. A Body Mass Index of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight and a Body Mass Index of 30 or above is considered obese. Obesity can shorten your life and put you at risk of developing a number of serious health conditions. These are, but not limited to high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer. It has also been noted that health risks are higher for youth who are obese, and the risks happens to increase as the degree of obesity increases. Youth who carry extra weight around their waist, rather than in their legs and thighs, are more likely to experience health problems caused by obesity. However, parents, the community, and schools can make a huge difference when it comes to preventing and solving the problems of overweight and obesity in adolescent. Physical education has been part of the educational curriculum for nearly 200 years. The physical education curriculum is designed to allow students to experience...
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...CLC Yellow Team Health Issue Analysis: Childhood Obesity Yellow Group Grand Canyon University: NUR- 508 August 20, 2014 Cultural Beliefs and Influences Relative to Childhood Obesity According to Opalinski, (2013), childhood obesity is increasing in all racial groups. Cultural beliefs play a unique contribution in relation to this chronic condition. Evidence shows that place of origin is one of the factors contributing to having kids who are not as healthy as people were just a few decades ago. Based on the literature, minority populations specifically Hispanics (Hispanic) and African American children are at higher risk compared to other ethnicities. Pulgaron et al., (2013), explains the relationship of Hispanic children and cultural factors affecting the rate of obesity among this population. The literature shows that Hispanic children who have grandparents helping in their caretaking had a negative impact on food choices and feeding habits due to the fact that in the Hispanic culture bigger means being healthier. The perception applied to the African American culture generally believes that a larger body size is equal to being healthy. Opalinski (2013) also reported that further investigation must be performed to better understand the relationship of cultural beliefs and childhood obesity. Religious/ Spiritual Beliefs In the United States a few studies were performed to investigate the association of religion and obesity. Based on the literature, social...
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...The New England Journal of Medicine: Incidence of Childhood Obesity in the United States General Summary: Childhood Obesity is a growing epidemic in the United States. Prevalence data has been documented; however, gaps in the incidence study still exist. Thus, a study was conducted on data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health in order to track the incidence of obesity. The National Center for Educational Statistics selected a nationally representative cohort using probability sampling. Children who were starting kindergarten in the fall semester of 1998 were followed up until they reached the eight grade for data collection; cumulative incidence shows the 9-year risk of obesity. Variables were selected such as height, weight, parent-reported age, sex, race, ethnic group, socioeconomic status, and birth weight. Study showed that although the prevalence of obesity increased with age, incident obesity was highest at the youngest ages and declined through eighth grade. The lowest cumulative incidence according to socioeconomic factors was among children from wealthy families and the highest was among children from the middle socioeconomic quintile. Importance of Article: Childhood Obesity is an important concern for the community and this article does a great job detailing why. Childhood Obesity affects more than 30 percent of children, making it the most common chronic disorder for children. Today, more and more children are being diagnosed with diabetes...
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...Area, and with children, who don’t have much money, sometimes are limited to resort to fast food or other unhealthy meals. Obesity refers to the condition of having excessive body fat. Obesity presents a huge problem both physically, mentally, as well as emotionally. People dealing with obesity have to face with humiliation, depression, and sometimes even discrimination. Who is there to blame for this issue? It isn’t likely to find kids exercising like children used to be. Instead, kids are inside playing their video games, on the computer using a social network, simply not being active. Thirty eight percent of public school children in were overweight or obese in 2010 (Allday 2011). Fingers can be pointed in a different number of places, fast food restaurants, soda companies, schools, and sometimes parents in their own homes can be at fault as well. It’s no question that obesity awareness needs to be raised but we as a society must work in unison to get to the main goal, healthier eating and a more active lifestyle. Method This case study was chosen to expand the knowledge of this epidemic issue within our communities. The study explains the overall issue of childhood obesity, health risks, diagnosis and treatment, and the awareness and prevention of the nutritional disorder. Within our group we decided upon this topic based on the doubling rate of obesity in the Bay Area. To aid our research we utilize peer review journals and articles from non-profit organizations, as well...
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...The Obesity Epidemic; How Environment, Behavior and Policy Can Make a Difference. Beth Spangler, RN Environment and behavior are both out of control and have led to an epidemic of obesity. In the U.S. we see in every city, fast food availability on most every corner, making it a simple choice for a quick meal. If we combine that with increased technology of TV, computers, video games, all of which contributes to a sedentary lifestyle that has become the norm. What we have is a recipe for overweight and obesity. Policies must be made to intercede and change the direction of America’s spiraling weight and health problems. We must find a way to inspire people to make behavior changes within the current environment that are sufficient to resist the push of environmental factors toward weight gain. This will require conscious effort on the part of most people to make behavior choices that counteract the environmental pressure. (Hill, J.C., 2003) Many cities across America are adapting new policies to address the problems of environment and behavior. Policies for more nutritional education and increased availability of fresh healthy foods in schools are increasing. More parks and recreation centers are being built, especially in low income areas where they are few or absent. One of the national policies put into effect in the last few years, as part of the Health Care Reform Act, states “establishments with 20 or more locations nationwide must post calories in a clear and...
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...Daniels, S. R. (2006). The consequences of childhood overweight and obesity. The Future of Children, 16(1) Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1519298841?accountid=35812 This article discusses the heavy toll that the obesity epidemic is taking on the health of the nation’s children. The immediate risks associated with childhood obesity and the long-term risks that children and adolescents may face along with the chances of becoming obese adults and suffer other health problems as a result is described. Daniels provides details on how obesity affects various important body systems such as the cardiovascular system. Being overweight or obese during childhood can accelerate the development of obesity-related cardiovascular disease well into adulthood. Daniels wraps up with the possibility of the increasing childhood obesity rates reversing the modern era’s steady increase in life expectancy, with today’s youth on average living less healthy and ultimately shorter lives than their parents, if childhood obesity cannot be controlled. Larsen, L., Mandleco, B., Williams, M., & Tiedeman, M. (2006). Childhood obesity: Prevention practices of nurse practitioners. Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, 18(2), 70-9. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/212806669?accountid=35812 The study presented here attempts to address the prevention practices of nurse practitioners (NPs) regarding childhood obesity. Then compare the practices of NPs by specialty...
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...Obesity: A Global Epidemic Introduction This analysis dives deep into the rising trend of obesity, and is designed to juxtapose the actions of McDonald’s corporation and the increasing trend of consumer preference of organic, healthy products. The market of food consumers is becoming increasingly health-focused although the simultaneous increases in obesity in almost all countries seem to be driven mainly by changes in the global food system, which is producing more processed, affordable, and effectively marketed food than ever before (Swinburn, 137). If fast-food chains such as McDonald’s ignore these changes in consumer knowledge and preferences, they will not survive the onslaught of other, new companies who now seek to bring fast, healthy food to the consumer’s table. Many of the labels that Label Print Technologies (LPT) produces are for smaller, organic food manufacturers who seek to bring a healthy product to their customers. The growth of the organic product industry has created large areas of growth in many different industries; the label industry is ripe for the picking and LPT is ready to act. Where once there were big manufacturers looking to have hundreds of thousands of labels produced at once, there are now smaller, health-focused companies looking for more intricately designed labels to adorn their high quality products, and not necessarily in mass quantity. Obesity is defined as fat accumulation that may impair health. The World Health Organization...
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...Childhood obesity has grown into an epidemic within the last 30 years. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2011), “7% of children were considered obese in the U.S. in 1980, and by 2008, it was nearly 20%. Additionally, the incidence of obesity among adolescent children, aged 12-19 years, grew from 5% to 18% over the same time period” (CDC, 2011). Coincidentally, over the past 30 years, more parents are working, not only every day, but longer hours, and in many cases both parents are working. Is the rat race killing our kids? There is an epidemic of parents who are too tired or lazy to engage their children, and have begun relying on the T.V., computers, or video games to occupy and entertain them. Also, the evolution of new technology has children involved with a screen of some sort, whether it’s a T.V., video game, cell phone, computer, etc, hence researchers have coined the term, “screen time.” This behavior of instant gratification has created an environment of sedentary behavior, as well as fostering a lack of personal interaction with others. The increase in screen time has become a normal way for parents to occupy their children while they are busy doing tasks of their own or resting after a long day at work. This paper will show that as a society, everyone should be proactive, take responsibility, and offer support and encouragement to promote appropriate physical activity in children. Children must be shown that there are more things to do outside...
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...systemic review or meta-analysis article. After combing through many articles I finally settled on two peer-reviewed articles that I feel pertain to my chosen article on childhood obesity and associated risk factors. The two peer-reviewed articles I found are “Early Life Risk Factors for Obesity in Childhood: Cohort Study” and “Increasing Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Decreasing Fat and Sugar Intake in Families at Risk for Childhood Obesity”. I was able to find an article while I was going through relevant research that is classified as meta-analysis and is titled “The Obesity Epidemic in the United Sates-Gender, Age, Socioeconomic, Racial/Ethnic, and Geographic Characteristics”. After reading through the articles I found I used the evidence summary form to help me break down the information into four categories. The categories are population studied, results of study, threats to validity of study, and implications of the study. My first peer-reviewed article that I summarized was conducted in the United Kingdom and included 8234 children and parents starting at the age of seven years old. The study included 3934 boys and 3824 girls and they found that the prevalence of obesity did not vary greatly between the sexes. The researchers used body mass index, questioners completed by parents, medical records, and biological samples. From the information gathered the researchers were able to learn that for the population studied boys had 9.2% prevalence for obesity while girls had an...
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...Childhood Obesity 1. Problem identification and overview 1. Problem identification The problem issue of childhood obesity is regarded in a very serious light by nursing and healthcare profession. It is considered to be “…the most common prevalent nutritional disorder of US children and adolescents, and one of the most common problems seen by pediatricians”( Childhood Overweight. NASO). However, it is also important to see this problem in the large problem of obesity in the country. The problem of obesity has become an increasingly serious concern for medical and healthcare authorities in recent years. The rate of obesity in developed countries like the United States has shown an alarming growth in the last decade and this has concomitant implications for healthcare professionals, including the nursing profession. The seriousness of the issue at stake is underlined by many experts in the field; for example, the claim that obesity is "... poised to become the nations leading health problem and No. 1 killer" and is "already the cause of 400,000 deaths a year...or 45 per hour..." (Hearne. S. et al, 2004) Central to the increase of general obesity is the severity of childhood obesity. There has been an alarming increase in obesity among younger children and adolescents and this has placed the emphasis on policy that focuses particular attention to this problematic area. Figure 1: The following table provides details about the increase in the prevalence...
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